Something More
by WeightlessWriter
Summary: Chloe realizing that she needs Alek a lot more than she needs Brian. Oneshot


Alek was tired. He was tired of listening to Chloe's conversation with _him._ He was tired of watching her follow that useless human around. But most of all, he was tired of watching her hurt over it.

He sat on Chloe's rooftop, listening to her conversation with Brian over the phone. He tried not to focus on the words, and instead listen to the rise and fall of her tone. He loved to listen to her speak, and he knew he would never willingly stop hearing her voice, even when she spoke of the most trivial things.

The increase of her heart rate broke him out of his trance. She sounded angry, upset, even _hurt._ He could hear it in her voice.

"_Brian, we've talked about this before. We can only ever be friends. I'm sorry, but I can't commit to anything more. Please, just respect that."_

"_Listen to me, I know I said I would wait, but I'm tired of this. At least tell me why. 'I can't' is not a very useful answer. Chloe, you know I really like you, but I feel like you're holding back, and that isn't fair. I've told you everything."_

Alek could picture the tears sliding down Chloe's face as she tried to keep her voice calm.

"_Brian, if you can't accept this as a platonic relationship, then . . . I guess we have nothing more to talk about. Goodnight Brian."_

"_Chloe - Wait!"_

Alek heard the click of the call ending, and couldn't help but smile. His victory, was short-lived, however, when he heard the soft sobs coming from the girl in her room. He would give anything in the world to be with her, and to punch that idiot for hurting her and not respecting her requests. But Chloe needed her space. She needed privacy, and she would hate him if she knew he was eavesdropping.

"_Alek?" _ Oh crap, Alek thought. How did she know he was up here? Of course, he was usually the one on uniter duty, but that wasn't always the case.

"_Alek? I know it's you. And I know you heard that conversation. Stop pretending, I can hear your heartbeat, just like I'm sure you can hear mine." _Alek could hear her voice shake a little as she tried to collect herself. Oh bollocks, now that she knew, there was no denying it. But she didn't exactly sound angry.

Alek climbed through her window, prepared to for the worst. But he wasn't prepared for this, at least not as much as he thought he was. He face was stained with tears as she sat on her bed in her sweatpants. She looked calm, but he knew she could fall apart at any minute. Nothing was more important to Chloe than her friends, and she had just had to hurt one.

"_Alek, I'm sorry you had to listen to that. I'm sorry you have to listen to me cry, and watch me make a mess of my life."_ She stopped to take a shaky breath and wipe the tears off her face. "_Please tell me you don't think less of me because of him. I just don't know what to do. I want to be his friend, but there's a part of me that still cares about him and thinks it could work, even though the rest of me knows it's a terrible idea, and that he's not even a very good guy."_

For the first time in Alek's life, he had no smart response. There was no biting reply on the tip of his tongue. Since he couldn't hide behind the wall of sarcasm on this occasion, he decided sincerity was his best option.

"_Chloe, you know I could never think less of you. And while I don't exactly support you spending time with him, I do want you to be happy. Just as long as you admit that Mai men are significantly more attractive than he could ever even hope to be, we shouldn't have a problem," _he said with a soft smirk. He would say anything to see her smile again. Fortunately, the corner of her mouth turned upward at his obvious bravado, and he heard a shaky laugh come from her.

Encouraged by her smile, he slowly approached her bed, taking soft steps until he was standing next to her. He sat next to her and put his arm around her, knowing that she needed comfort now more than anything. She smiled and leaned into him. She closed her eyes, obviously feeling comfortable in his embrace, relishing the closeness. He was warm and comfortable, and she never felt more safe than in his embrace, knowing that he would do anything to protect her.

He kissed her hair softly, just to remind her that she was there no matter what. And he always would be. Brian or no Brian, Alek would always be there to protect her. And whether she admitted it out loud or not, Chloe would always want him to be there. As her protector, her friend, her teacher, and maybe when she was ready to admit it, something more.


End file.
